A moment in time with Amy, Before Frank
Marking the 20th Anniversary of Amy Winehouse’ celebrated debut album International Photographer, Charles Moriarty, brings intimate collection to Australia
AUSTRALIA, 13th September 2023 – On the eve of what would have been Amy Winehouse’ 40th birthday, internationally renowned photographer, Charles Moriarty, has announced the Australian tour of ‘Amy, Before Frank’, a personal tribute and intimate collection of timeless photography captured when a young, fresh faced, 19-year-old Amy Winehouse was on the cusp of global stardom.
Back in 2003, when Charles Moriarty was asked by a mutual friend to photograph a local singer by the name of Amy Winehouse, he had no idea of the heights that the honest, self-assured 19-year-old he was introduced to would eventually reach. The Irish photographer ended up shooting the cover for Amy’s debut album, Frank, with the two striking up a friendship that remained close for many years.
Charles Moriarty’s Amy, Before Frank collection features a series of photographs that are fun, mischievous and capture a remarkable period for one of music’s most significant and iconic figures. Moriarty’s photographs are charming, intimate, insightful, and emotional for fans of Amy who have stayed close to her turbulent life journey, and it’s heart-breaking, all too soon, end.
On bringing Amy, Before Frank to Australia, after 20 years since Amy was introduced to the world “it’s time for people to know the girl I knew; Amy before the fame, Amy before Frank” said Charles Moriarty.
Moriarty’s images have quickly made a transition into collective cultural memory, through both the iconic cover for Frank and now at London’s National Portrait Gallery, where one of the images from this exhibit sits in the permanent collection.
Presented by Behind The Gallery, the Amy, Before Frank collection will arrive in Sydney in October, before travelling to Melbourne in November, at a time that also marks the 20th anniversary of her internationally acclaimed debut album, Frank, which was originally released on the 20th October, 2003.
“Charles captured the innocence, honesty, happiness of Amy before the cusp of fame happened. The trust in the shots of Amy from Charles is based upon friendship and not something we have seen like this before. It’s a side of Amy rarely shown before, and we can’t wait to share it with everyone in Australia”. Said, Stephen Dallimore – Behind the Gallery.
Over 30 images will be featured and on display in Sydney at the m2 Gallery in Surry Hills. The free-of-charge exhibit will be open to the public from the 18th – 22nd October, from 10am – 5pm each day with the opportunity to hear directly from Charles Moriarty who will share personal insights and anecdotes from his time spent with Amy, in person on Saturday 21st October at 12.30pm.
The Amy, Before Frank exhibit will then travel to Melbourne’s @14 Gallery in Collingwood, open to the public from 1st – 5th November, 10am – 5pm each day. Moriarty will also be hosting an in-person artist talk on Saturday 4th November at 12.30pm.
